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| Tim Wallace was a familiar presence in the third base coaching box and junior college baseball circles for more than three decades. (Palmetto State Baseball photo) |
Wallace won 1,351 games in 34 seasons at SMC, with his tenure ending as the school transitioned to four-year status this season. He won 12 Region 10 titles and took seven teams to the NJCAA World Series. Wallace earned region coach of the year honors eight times.
He sent numerous players on to four-year schools and professional teams. Wallace coached 18 junior college all-Americans. Three-time MLB Gold Glove winner Orlando Hudson played for Wallace in 1997-98.
"Tim Wallace, what an impressive mind this man has along with being a great coach. He will make a man out of you quick, and if you couldn't take it, take your uniform off!!," Hudson said in an article SMC published when Wallace retired. "He was what my uncles were to me – hard-nosed, took no nonsense, and straight to the point.
“The game of baseball needs more guys like him from the MLB level all the way down to T-ball," said Hudson, who now works for the Arizona Diamondbacks. "I miss the days of him driving down to Darlington to hunt with me and my dad. Love this man, a true inspiration to my career!"
In a post on X, University of South Carolina assistant coach Monte Lee said "Tim Wallace was the first coach I worked for. He was one of the best baseball men I have ever encountered. He was a dear friend, and impacted so many people over all of these years.
"He is a hall of famer, and one of the greatest coaches to ever coach in our great state of South Carolina," Lee continued. "RIP to one of the best."
Austin Alexander of Diamond Prospects wrote on X "While his accomplishments were many and his mark on the game was legendary, the amount of lives he impacted was endless & I count myself blessed to have been one of them."
Alexander played for Wallace at SMC and later served as an assistant.
"Thankful to have played for coach," Tweeted Tyler Jackson, associate head coach at Morehead State. "Wouldn’t be where I am today without the lessons he taught. Looking back, I am extremely grateful for him and impacting my life the way he did."
After Wallace announced just before the season that he was taking a leave of absence to deal with health issues, he told me in a phone call that he first noticed some mobility issues while doing some field prep work in the fall. Doctors told him examinations revealed there were lesions on his brain.
On April 25, Wallace announced his retirement during what would have been his 34th season. His career record was 1,351-517-1.
"Great man and mentor," said Riley Nelson, Wallace's replacement, said on X. "What an honor to share the dugout for the past 4 years … Already severely missed."
Wallace began his collegiate career at Baptist College of Charleston (now Charleston Southern), then transferred to Wofford where he played two years. Wallace was a second-round draft pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1982 MLB draft and played five seasons in the minor leagues, reaching AAA. He also played two seasons in Italy.
He was named team MVP twice at Lancaster High School, once at Lancaster American Legion Post 31, once at Baptist College and twice at Wofford, where he led the team in the triple crown categories both seasons.
At Wofford he had a .459 career batting average and fashioned a 37-game hitting streak. Wallace hit .472 as a sophomore. He was inducted into that school's Hall of Fame in 2000, the SMC Hall of Honor in 2012 and the NJCAA Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame in 2014.
Earlier this year, he was selected for the NJCAA Coaches Legacy Award and was to have been honored in June in Charlotte.
No funeral arrangements have been announced yet.
On a personal note, Tim was a great help to my coverage of junior college baseball. He was faithful to text me SMC scores and post box scores on a timely basis - even after long road trips. He also kept me up to date during the Region 10 Tournament.
I covered the Region 10 finals a few years back and he greeted me with a smile even though his team had just lost to Florence-Darlington Tech. Another time, I was at a regular-season doubleheader at Mooneyham Field and went to speak to him afterward. "I thought that was you in the stands," he said.
A few weeks ago I sent a check to help address the medical expenses. Today, I received in the mail a kind thank you note from his friend Kendra Strange on Tim's behalf.
I'm gonna miss him.
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